anything that may delay you
by beautesansepines
Summary: What if Puck had been with Sabrina and Daphne when the mirrors exploded? What if he protected them the best way he knew how? Events set in motion long ago come to light, and the war may not be over as quickly - or easily - as the Grimm Family may have hoped. (Council of Mirrors AU; Based on The Snow Queen)


**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Sisters Grimm. The italicized lines are taken directly from "The Council of Mirrors."

* * *

 _This is my winter song  
_

 _December never felt so wrong_

 _'cause you're not where you belong_

 _inside my arms._

Winter Song, Sara Bareilles

* * *

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived in a palace of frost a beautiful Queen who had miraculous powers over the ice and snow...

* * *

" _I can't let you out, Mirror," Sabrina said, mustering every bit of bravado she could._

" _That's how it's going to be? That makes me sad," Mirror frowned. "Well, Starfish, you've forced my hand. If you won't give me the spell, I'm going to have to make you give it to me."_

 _Then the surface of each mirror began to bubble and churn. Lightning exploded out of the silver surfaces like before, but this time much more violently._

Sabrina grabbed Daphne and Puck's hands in her own and backed away, but a bolt of energy blasted near their feet, sending all three children tumbling to the floor. Long cracks splintered through the reflections, multiplying and intersecting until each mirror resembled a jagged spider's web. All twenty-four guardians reappeared, their faces identical masks of fear and agony.

" _Don't give up, girls. The First can be defeated!" Donovan shouted._

The mirrors exploded. The broken shards ricocheted across the room, raining down from every angle. Sabrina rushed to protect her sister, but had the air knocked right out of her as Puck unceremoniously dropped himself across both girls, shielding them bodily from the shower of razor shard glass. The sound of it all hitting the floor was tremendous. It thundered in her ears and rattled her brain until she was sure she'd go deaf. She was about to lift her head in an attempt to cover her ears, but Puck pushed her back down against the cold floor. She pulled Daphne closer and squeezed her eyes shut, wincing as she felt Puck trembling above them.

After what seemed like an eternity, all was deathly quiet. Sabrina opened her eyes. She took a moment to make sure that she was alright, and except for a few shallow cuts across the backs of her hands, she was. Her sister lay beneath her, also seemingly unharmed. "Daphne, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Daphne wheezed, seemingly having to fight to catch her breath. Despite her sister's reassurance, Sabrina's heart skipped a beat. "Just a little squished."

Sabrina let out a heavy sigh of relief as she realized Daphne's shortness of breath was probably just a side effect of bearing the combined weight of two twelve year olds. "Puck, are you okay? You can get up now."

The boy fairy didn't respond – instead, he rolled off of Sabrina and landed on a bed of broken glass with a sickening crunch, giving a short cry of agony. "Puck?!" Sabrina felt weak and frenzied as she scrambled to her feet and took in the boy fairy's condition. Though his jeans and hoodie had protected him from the worst of the damage, the palms and backs of his hands were covered in blood where pieces had ripped across his skin. There was also a few shallow cuts across his face, one of them dangerously close to his right eye. But what caught Sabrina's attention immediately was the large, jagged piece of glass sticking up through the side his hoodie, which was rapidly darkening with blood. "Oh God," she whispered.

"It's... fine," Puck gasped, grimacing up at the ceiling. His face had drained completely of color and his voice wavered as he spoke. "H-hardly even hurts…" He gripped the shard with shaking hands, hoping to simply pull it out, but only succeeded in further aggravating the wounds on his palms. He hissed in pain and bit his lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to keep back a string of curses.

"Let me." Sabrina dropped to her knees and, after taking a deep breath to steel herself, grasped the shard with trembling fingers. She recoiled as the chunk melted and seeped beneath his hoodie beneath her touch.

Puck shuddered violently, cursed once, then stilled.

"Where'd it go?" Daphne loomed over the two blonds, pale as a ghost. Sabrina startled, glancing up at her sister. In her panic, Sabrina had nearly forgotten she was there.

Biting her lip, Sabrina gingerly lifted Puck's bloodstained hoodie and t-shirt. She cried out as she revealed the angry, jagged wound on his chest. It oozed blood with every beat of his pulse, creating a mess of scarlet trails across his skin. The blonde girl quickly shrugged off her blue jacket and used it to mop away the worst of the blood. It was her favorite and would probably be ruined, but in that moment, she couldn't have cared less.

With most of the blood gone, she could see the wound more clearly: it was a long, deep jagged line, starting just beneath the boy fairy's heart and ending on his left side, beneath his armpit. There was no sign of the piece of glass.

"Okay," Puck gasped, managing a weak smile. "I lied. It does hurt, a whole lot." His smile faded as he took in the girls' worried expressions. "N-not good, huh?"

Daphne's eyes were wet and round as dinner plates as she knelt down beside her sister. She grabbed Sabrina's hand with one of her own and scrubbed at her own tear-streaked face with the other. "What does it mean? Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know," Sabrina whispered. She wasn't at all sure what had just happened, but the sinking feeling in her stomach told her that it wasn't good.

Her emotions were all over the place: Puck had obviously saved her and Daphne by shielding them and taking the brunt of the damage. Seeing him in this much pain was horrible (it reminded her of how weak and helpless he'd been when the Jabberwocky ripped his wings off,) but she there were also intense feelings of relief, love, and gratitude for what he'd done. The Mirrors contained extremely powerful magic: who knew what kind of havoc that type of magic would have wreaked on her, an addict, or on Daphne, who (despite what she thought) was still so young? Puck was a fairy, she reminded herself. He was _made_ of magic. He could handle a little more, right? He'd be okay, he had to be… because if he wasn't...

Sabrina could feel tears burning in her eyes, but for once, she didn't stop them; they rolled freely down her ruddy cheeks. She hesitated just a second, then swallowed her pride and smoothed Puck's dirty blond curls away from his forehead. "Thank you, Puck," she whispered. "You saved our lives."

Puck mumbled something that sounded a lot like, "add it to your tab" before clenching his teeth and his eyes shut. The effort of not shouting out with each wave of pain had caused him to break out in a sweat.

"We - we should find mom and dad," Daphne said, standing and wiping her eyes on the backs of her hands. Sabrina nodded mutely; if they found their parents, they'd find the army, and if they found the army, they'd find Bunny, the woman who had created the magic mirrors in the first place. She'd be able to better explain what was happening to Puck. "Puck, do you think you can stand?"

Puck grunted weakly in response.

"Wait," Sabrina said. She knelt down and stuck her hand in Puck's jean pocket, ignoring Daphne's questioning look. After a moment of digging, she produced her prize: the tiny wooden flute Puck carried with him at all times. "If you can call your pixies, they can carry you out of here." She held the flute to his lips, but Puck wasn't produce the few short notes needed to summon his minions. Disheartened, Sabrina tucked the flute away in her pocket for safekeeping.

"We'll have to carry him," she decided, gingerly hooking her hands beneath his arms. The boy cried out in agony as she attempted to pull him up. "Sorrysorrysorry," Sabrina babbled, mentally pleading with him to understand that she was doing her best not to hurt him. He was taller than her now, and much heavier than she expected; she swayed dangerously under his weight. Daphne rushed over to help, and together they managed to bring him to a standing position. The sisters stood on either side of him, allowing Puck to rest most of his weight on their shoulders.

After a few staggering steps, there was a soft _pop_ as the Puck's enormous pink insect wings unfurled from his back and stirred weakly. Puck seemed to sense that the girls were struggling and was attempting to lighten their load, but he couldn't seem to generate enough force to lift himself off the ground. "It's alright," Sabrina assured him. Her voice was soft and sweet, the same lilting coo she used when she spoke to Basil. "We've got you." His wings fluttered once more, then fell limply against his back.

The three children limped through the portal. Screams filled the air as the hallway dissolved rapidly into woods. But where was their army?

Sabrina's eyes widened. "Mom? Dad? Uncle Jake?" No one answered. Where was everyone? The army, her family… what if they were wounded, or worse? She saw her own rising panic mirrored in Daphne's face. With Puck slumped between them, barely conscious, they were completely vulnerable to any attack. "Stay with us, Puck."

"Smoke," Daphne gasped suddenly, using her free hand to point up over the hillside. "Sabrina, that's part of the camp! The army could be in trouble! We have to help!"

"Wait!" Sabrina didn't want to let Daphne out of her sight, especially not to run off _towards_ a blazing forest fire, but there was no way Puck was going to make it up that hill in time. Sabrina would go herself, but she didn't want to leave Daphne and Puck alone in case of an attack. Daphne could certainly defend herself, but could she take care of Puck at the same time?

Then again, anyone trapped in the burning camp would need their help... and that anyone could include their family and friends. Besides, no matter how young she was, Daphne was still a Grimm. She was completely capable of handling herself. "Go," Sabrina said finally, shouldering the rest of Puck's weight and gently lowering the boy to the ground. "But be careful!" Daphne nodded and took off in the direction of the rapidly rising smoke, stumbling over roots as she ran as quickly as her legs could carry her.

Sabrina watched her sister until she disappeared over the crest of the hill, then turned her attention to Puck. His skin was flushed and blotchy, and beads of perspiration ran down his temples and wet his hair. She gently dabbed at his forehead with the hem of her shirt.

"Sabrina?" Puck's voice was a dry-throated whisper.

She wished she had some water to give him. Instead, she pressed her hand into his, twining their fingers together and squeezing. "I'm here. Everything's going to be okay," she soothed, uncertain whether she was reassuring him or herself. He stared up at her with clouded, uncertain eyes, and Sabrina scrambled for a way to comfort him. Teasing him had always worked in the past, right? She swallowed and forced herself to smile. "I mean, it has to be, since we end up married in the future, right? I'd hate to disappoint everyone after you went through the trouble of sending out save the dates." The corners up Puck's mouth twitched skyward; it was working. Encouraged, Sabrina gave his hand another gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Puck. You're gonna be around to annoy me for a long, long time."

"Y-you better believe it," Puck panted. He squeezed her hand weakly in return, struggling to remain conscious.

Just then, Daphne came racing back from the burning camp. Sabrina stood quickly, worried that her sister might be hurt. "Deserted," Daphne huffed, bracing herself on her knees for support. One of her dark pigtails was singed at the ends, but she was otherwise unharmed. Sabrina let out the sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "The fire's almost burned itself out, but there's no trace of anyone…" Daphne paused to swallow and catch her breath. "Except for a few footprints. I think we should follow them."

After helping Puck up, they followed the footprints up a small hill and down a steep embankment with little incident. Puck's injuries greatly impeded their progress, and evening fell swiftly. Twilight washed over the woods, each minute making it more and more difficult to see. Gradually, the shouts and in the distance faded away to silence, which was punctuated only by their own crunching footsteps and Puck's labored breathing and the cries of agony he gave whenever they tripped or stumbled in the darkness.

They'd been walking for hours and night had settled in completely when Daphne stopped suddenly, cocking her head to the side. "What was that?" she whispered, her voice wavering slightly.

"What?" Sabrina hissed, taking the opportunity to readjust her hold on Puck. She froze when she heard it too – a rustling from directly behind them, one that was clearly not caused by the breeze. Daphne's eyes widened with fear. _What do we do?_ Her expression seemed to ask.

Running wasn't an option, and neither was hiding: they stood in the middle of a moonlit clearing. They were sitting ducks. "Who's there," Sabrina shouted, her heart in her throat. She prayed fervently that it was a friend; none of the children was in any condition to fend off an attacker. And if it _was_ the Scarlet Hand... well, she prayed that they'd be merciful and kill them quickly.

There was more rustling, the snap of a branch, and then Henry Grimm stepped out of the bushes, looking as panicked as they'd ever seen him.

"Girls!" he cried. Sabrina could have shouted in relief. She had never been so happy to see her father in her life. She was exhausted, scared, and more than a little bit hungry. Her father would be able to lead them back to camp, where all three of those problems would be taken care of. "Where have you been?" Henry shook his head quickly, his eyebrows knitting together. "It doesn't matter, you're here now, and you'll be lucky if I ever let you out of my sight again… what's wrong with him?" He peered down at Puck curiously, noticing his condition for the first time.

"The magic mirrors exploded. He saved our lives," Daphne explained quickly, red-faced with the effort of holding the boy up. "But he's hurt real bad."

Henry's expression softened. He easily lifted Puck into his arms, and the boy fairy went limp almost as soon as his feet left the ground, weak with exhaustion. Sabrina stretched her back, which sore from hours of walking and carrying Puck's weight.

Henry pressed a hand against the fairy's forehead and winced. "He's burning up. We can talk more once we get him to the infirmary. A lot has happened today," he said. Sabrina and Daphne spared each other worried glances before following their father as he strode purposefully through the trees.

The children had been closer to their army than they thought. They came upon the new little settlement after about a mile and a half of walking.

It was a makeshift camp, and it showed. The tents and tarps were all pitched haphazardly. Sabrina supposed that a strong wind might send them all tumbling. The smell of smoke still lingered heavily in the night air. People rushed back and forth, attempting to finish setting up camp, cast protective enchantments, attend to the wounded, and make sure their friends were well and accounted for. Sabrina's own mother nearly bowled her over and was so distracted that she barely stopped to acknowledge her presence.

They reached the infirmary tent just as Nurse Sprat burst out, a first aid kit tucked beneath her arm and what amounted to several rolls of white bandage draped around her neck. She paused for a moment to look at Puck, then kept moving, breathing heavily. "Take him inside," she called over her shoulder, just before disappearing into the fray. "Lay him on one of the empty cots. I'll be back as soon as I can."

The chaos of the camp outside was lost inside the tent, which was cool and quiet, lit dimly by the glow of several kerosene lanterns. Henry lay Puck gingerly across an empty cot near the mouth of the tent. The boy twitched and groaned faintly, though his eyes remained closed.

Sabrina's gaze swept across the rest of the tent. Only a few of the beds were inhabited. One of Robin Hood's merry men slept fitfully in one of them, his face – or what was visible of it beneath a layer of white bandage – was caked with sweat and blood. What looked like an entire flock of the Widow's birds occupied another, chirping and twittering softly. But the majority of the cots were covered with long white sheets. Sabrina, understanding what that meant, averted her eyes and tried not to think of who might be beneath them.

At the far back of the tent, Pinocchio was weeping softly over another body already swathed in a white sheet. Uncle Jake sat next to him, whispering soothing words, but they were obviously falling on deaf ears. He acknowledged Henry and the girls with a short, tired nod, then turned his attention back to the boy beside him. "Gepetto," Henry said quietly, confirming what Sabrina already knew to be true.

"No," Daphne cried, burying her face against her sister's arm.

Sabrina embraced the younger girl, fighting to keep a brave face even as grief swept over her like a tidal wave. Her vision blurred as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "A-and the others?"

"Four deaths, including Gepetto. Friar Tuck, the Frog Princess and Sir Lancelot were all killed trying to fight Atticus and his trolls. And there are countless wounded." The girls' father let out a heavy sigh and glanced over his shoulder at the three other bodies. "Atticus took Snow White. Bunny is beside herself."

Sabrina's heart dropped. She knew what Atticus was capable of. She had to herself that Snow White wasn't the helpless damsel she'd seen in the Book of Everafter anymore. She was a trained martial artist, and even if she couldn't defeat Atticus, she could certainly hold her own against him. Puck needed her attention much more. Pushing thoughts of the beautiful teacher to the side, Sabrina pressed forward. "Where is Bunny? We need her to look at Puck. One of the shards from her Mirror got under his skin, and we think it's making him sick."

Henry shook his head. "That's just not a good idea right now. Baba Yaga was barely able to restrain her from going after Atticus. With Morgan and Mordred gone, the last thing we need right now is to lose another powerful Everafter. She's confined to her quarters for the night, or until she calms down enough to see reason."

"But we need her. They're her mirrors. She's the only one who can tell us what's happening," Daphne argued.

"Nurse Sprat has promised to look over him –"

"And what can she do for him? Wrap him up in bandages and hope for the best?" Sabrina spat.

"Sabrina," Henry chided softly. "She's doing the best she can. We all are."

"Then maybe our best just isn't good enough," Sabrina snapped. "He's _dying!_ I can't just sit here and _watch_ him! I have to _do_ something! There must be something. A spell, a potion, a salve... Anything! Dad, can't just sit here, I- I have to..." She broke off abruptly, struggling to catch her breath. She wrapped her arms around herself and forced herself to breath deeply, to push down the panic bubbling in her chest. "Please, daddy, I can't just watch him. We need to do something. Anything. _Please._ "

She glanced up with pleading eyes and noticed that her father was looking at her strangely. It wasn't until he knelt down and wiped the tears from her cheeks that she realized that she'd begun crying again. Her breath hitched and she let the tears come. They fell harder and faster until she was shaking with the force of her sobs.

"Oh, girls." Henry's voice was low and steady as a lullaby. Sabrina's trembled as he stroked her hair, then pulled her and her sister into gentle hug. She latched on to him, wrapping her arms around her neck and holding on as if he were a rock in a stormy sea. Sabrina suddenly felt very young - younger even than her twelve years. She'd never felt so small and lost in her entire life. Not when she'd been forced to give Mirror her brother, nor when Puck's wings had been ripped off by the vicious Jabberwocky. Not even when she'd lay curled up around Daphne all those years ago, listening to a storm rage outside and wondering if she'd ever see her parents again.

Daphne clung tight to her waist, weeping softly, and Sabrina allowed her own tears fall freely against her father's shoulder. Henry sighed and held his daughters a little bit tighter. They'd done so much growing up in the last few years, but they were still only little girls – little girls thrown into a big war that should've never been theirs to fight. "You've done so much already."


End file.
